Naila and Talal El-Deeb were visiting relatives in Gaza when the conflict broke out
By Nora Fakim & James W Kelly
BBC News
A British-Palestinian couple trapped in Gaza amid Israel’s siege have had little help from the UK government, their son has said.
Naila and Talal El-Deeb, from London, were visiting relatives in Gaza when the violence erupted on Saturday with Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Mo El-Deeb said his parents’ attempt to flee through Egypt was halted when an Israeli jet struck near the border.
The UK government said it was working to keep the Rafah border open.
Mo, from Marylebone in central London, told BBC News both his parents were originally from Gaza and his dad went back to visit family a couple of months ago, with Mrs El-Deeb joining him two weeks ago.
The 30-year-old said: “Now they’re stuck. There’s no way for them to get out – we’ve tried every angle and there’s no real solution for them to leave Gaza.”
Mo El-Deeb says his parents have been sheltering in the dark with no electricity
Mrs El-Deeb has suffered a stroke since arriving in the territory, her son said.
“They were instructed to go to the Egyptian border as their names were on some sort of list,” Mo said. “When they got to the border there was about 5,000 people waiting in a queue.
“Within five minutes of them being there, there had been a strike on a building opposite the border.”
They were then evacuated and told the border would be closed for the “foreseeable future”, Mo said.
He added that since then his parents had “been sheltering in the dark with no electricity”.
He said the British Embassy told them to follow the advice published on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) website.
The current advice states: “If you are a British national in Gaza and want to leave, check the status of the Rafah crossing into Egypt before you travel. Movement to the Rafah crossing and beyond is at your own risk.”
British citizens are also encouraged to register with the FCDO.
‘Nobody seems to know’
On Thursday, the government announced evacuation flights for British nationals stranded in Israel, but those in Gaza are unable to cross the Israel border.
“I got sent a voice note this morning (Thursday) and you could hear bombs in the background,” Mo told the BBC.
“My parents are waiting to hear instructions from the Foreign Office [but] nobody seems to know.”
Salim Lubbad says he is “desperately anxious” about his siblings
Another Londoner worried about family in Gaza is Saleem Lubbad, a Palestinian academic who has lived in the capital for over 10 years.
He told the BBC his family was under constant threat from Israeli airstrikes.
“The whole place is being carpet-bombed,” the 33-year-old said. “We lost close family members – three cousins and an uncle. From my mother’s side we lost 14 people, an entire family was wiped out.”
He said members of his family, including his two brothers with their children, had been displaced multiple times due to the bombing from Israeli military jets.
“There’s literally nowhere to go,” he added.
“I am desperately anxious over the fate of my siblings,” Mr Lubbad told the BBC. “At any minute we expect to learn that one, if not all of them, have been killed.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority.
“The UK Government has facilitated commercial flights to help British nationals wanting to leave Israel following the Hamas attacks.
“We are working with our international partners on the challenging security situation at the Rafah border crossing to keep the route open.”
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